the 100 best selling albums of the 70s Full Book (2023)

FAQs

What was the biggest selling album of the 1970's? ›

Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel were the kings of the scene as the '70s began. Simon & Garfunkel's farewell album, “Bridge Over Troubled Water” was the top-selling album of the year. Its title track was the top-selling single.

Michael Jackson's Thriller, estimated to have sold 70 million copies worldwide, is the best-selling album ever.

Queen influenced several musical artists and is credited with helping shape the sound of rock music. The band has released 18 studio albums, 10 live albums, and numerous compilation albums. They have sold over 300 million records worldwide.

The Beatles' 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band topped the list, with Rolling Stone's editors describing it as "the most important rock 'n' roll album ever made". The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds (1966) was ranked second in recognition of its influence on Sgt. Pepper.

Eminem sold 13.862 million albums over the past decade, third overall behind Adele (23.924 million) and Taylor Swift (22.972 million). Rounding out the top 5 were Justin Bieber (12.098 million) and Drake (10.526 million).

You can't have a list of the best bands in the 70s without mentioning The Beatles. With 17 number one hit songs, they were one of the biggest bands on the planet. Their unprecedented success and millions of adoring fans coined the term Beatlemania.

The Beatles were still ruling the charts in 1970 with “Let It Be” (both the single and album). But Led Zeppelin was conquering the world in every other way. The band spent the year on tour with two albums that would hit No.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, British rock band The Beatles are top of the list for best-selling artists worldwide, with 183 million units certified sales.

What was the fastest album to go diamond? ›

Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road" Is the Fastest-Selling Diamond Record of All Time.

The Beatles have the most No. 1 hits of all time: 20.

Number ones

Rod Stewart remained at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 17 weeks during the 1970s. Elton John amassed the second-most number-one hits on the Hot 100 chart during the 1970s (6 songs).

Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney and Phil Collins are the only musicians to have sold over 100 million albums as a solo artist and member of a group.

Abel Tesfaye, more commonly known as The Weeknd, is statistically the most popular musician on the planet, and no one else even comes close. The 33-year-old Canadian singer's success has seen him set two new Guinness World Records titles: Most monthly listeners on Spotify – 111.4 million (as of 20 March 2023)

Elvis Presley

Until his death in 1977, the King released over 60 albums, including numerous collections and soundtracks.

Fela Kuti recorded 46 albums as a solo artist over the course of a solo career spanning 23 years. The first solo album was recorded in 1969 and the last in 1992.

Who was the first artist to sell a million albums? ›

The first record to sell over a million copies was 'Vesti la giubba' from Leoncavallo's I Pagliacci, sung by the Italian opera singer Enrico Caruso (1873–1921).

1970s US Number 1 Facts

You Light Up My Life by Debby Boone (1977) spent the most number of weeks at Number 1 (10). Consequently, it was the biggest selling single of the decade in the US.

The Carpenters scored their first #1 hit with "(They Long to Be) Close to You" reaching the top spot for four consecutive weeks in 1970.

1. Eagles. Eagles formed at the start of the '70s as Linda Ronstadt's backing group; by the end of the decade they were one of the biggest bands in the world.

Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), often referred to mononymously as Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century.

According to a Business Insider piece that was originally published in 2016 and updated for November 2022, the rock band with the most albums sold in America is The Eagles (or, Eagles, if you're a stickler). They've racked up sales topping 120 million records.

Over the course of Elvis' life, he achieved some of the highest accolades in music and film. It is estimated that more than one billion Elvis records have been sold worldwide, more than anyone in record industry history.

Which band sold the most albums? ›

1. The Beatles — 183 million units.

Asha Bhosle – Most recorded artist in music history

Asha Bhosle has recorded up to 11000 solo, duets and chorus backed songs and several others in over 20 Indian languages since 1947.

Post Malone holds the record for the most diamond-certified songs in history with eight to his name. He earned his first in 2019 for "Congratulations." He received two more awards in 2020 (for "Rockstar" and "Sunflower") and an additional two in 2022 (for "White Iverson" and "Psycho" featuring Ty Dolla $ign).

Miley Cyrus' 'Flowers' Fastest to 1 Billion Streams on Spotify – Billboard.

"Blue Monday" is the best-selling 12-inch single of all time. In the United Kingdom, it has sold 1.16 million copies in all formats, including the 1988 and 1995 re-releases. Sales of the original 1983 12-inch release account for the bulk of the total, at over 700,000 copies.

1. "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus. "Old Town Road" was certified 15-times platinum on September 17, 2021. It has since been certified 17-times platinum, as of November 29, 2022.

While The Who's signature song might be "Baba O'Riley," that wasn't even released as a single in the US. Their lone song to crack the top 10 is "I Can See For Miles" in 1967 from their third album, "The Who Sell Out."

The Bee Gees dominated the 1970s music scene, and have been regarded as the decade-defining act of the 1970s.

Michael Jackson has become the annual highest-earning male solo artist a record 7 times throughout the 1980s and 1990s.

Has any band sold a billion records? ›

Indeed, it is important to know that there are only 2 artists who have reached 1 billion records of all time. In the first list, there are the Beatles, if we take into account the sale of singles and Elvis Presley, some say Michael Jackson but no, he has not reached the billion records sold in the world.

1 singles by a solo artist. Mariah Carey (USA) has topped the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart on 19 different occasions.

As the King of Pop, it makes sense to begin the list with Michael Jackson. The legendary singer achieved fame at a young age through his musical family and their group the Jackson 5. This led him to regular studio work and performances across the Midwest, notably through Motown Records.

1: Aretha Franklin

Topping our list of the best female singers of all time, Aretha Franklin also stands as the most-charting female singer in history. Starting out in the gospel choir at her Baptist church, in Detroit, Franklin began her career as a recording artist in 1960, aged just 18.

Number ones

The Bee Gees scored the most number-one hits (9 songs) and had the longest cumulative run atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart (27 weeks) during the 1970s. Rod Stewart remained at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 17 weeks during the 1970s.

The best-selling album relesased in 1977 is BAT OUT OF HELL by MEAT LOAF which sold 43,000,000 copies.

1970s US Number 1 Facts

You Light Up My Life by Debby Boone (1977) spent the most number of weeks at Number 1 (10). Consequently, it was the biggest selling single of the decade in the US.

As the King of Pop, it makes sense to begin the list with Michael Jackson. The legendary singer achieved fame at a young age through his musical family and their group the Jackson 5. This led him to regular studio work and performances across the Midwest, notably through Motown Records.

What album was a huge hit in 1977? ›

01: Fleetwood Mac – Rumours

An enduring classic rock staple, Fleetwood Mac's Rumours is as beloved today as it was in 1977.

Beginning with Debby Boone's 1977 smash “You Light Up My Life,” a relatively select few smashes have led the Billboard Hot 100 for at least 10 weeks.

“Exile On Main St.,” the Rolling Stones / Total weeks at No. 1: 4 “Exile,” along with Young's “Harvest,” is probably the other absolute classic album — double album — to reach No. 1 in 1972.

In the 1970s, it was Sir Elton John, Fleetwood Mac and Queen who had the most streamed song. Sir Elton was the most popular in 1970 with Your Song and in 1972 for Tiny Dancer, while Fleetwood Mac's Go Your Own Way was most streamed in 1976 and Dreams in 1977.

1. "Over the Rainbow” by Judy Garland. This song came to popularity as the most famous track from The Wizard of Oz.